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Martha Woodroof of member station WMRA profiles author Mark Haddon, whose novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time features a 15-year-old math whiz with Asperger's Syndrome who tries to discover who killed a dog with a garden fork.

An exhibit called "Petra, Lost City of Stone" is opening at the American Museum of Natural History. The city of Petra, cut into the cliffs of what is now Jordan, was a great trading crossroads of the ancient world. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and Craig Morris, co-curator of an exhibit.

In the second of a two-part performance chat, NPR's Bob Edwards talks to songwriter and pianist Randy Newman, who plays and sings some of his kinder, gentler compositions.

Lalo -- the artist also known as Laura Friedman -- has injected some rock vitality into an instrument most often associated with straight-ahead jazz: the vibraphone. NPR's Liane Hansen talks with Lalo about her music and her self-titled CD. Hear clips from 'Lalo.'

Actor Denzel Washington and director Carl Franklin have re-teamed for the noirish comedy Out of Time, featuring Washington as a police chief in trouble. NPR's Bob Mondello offers a review.

Avenue Q, a sexually explicit puppet stage show, is bringing normally musical-resistant 20-somethings into the theater. The small show featuring some very adult felt characters has moved from an off-Broadway theater to Broadway, thanks to rave reviews. NPR's Jeff Lunden reports.

The family and record company of the late poet-songwriter Jacques Brel release five previously unpublished songs. The music appears on a commemorative set issued to mark the 25-year anniversary of Brel's death. Fans and purists are dismayed over the release of the music that Brel asked never be published. NPR's Nick Spicer reports.

In Lucky Girls, a debut collection of short stories by Nell Freudenberger, readers follow young women from India to Vietnam and beyond. In long, complex stories, Freudenberger's characters negotiate confusion, ignorance and loss as they come of age in exotic locales. Alan Cheuse critiques the latest effort from a writer whose career began just two years ago.

New York University professor Neil Postman dies at the age of 72. Postman, author of Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, is known for his criticism of the news media. Hear NPR's Bob Edwards.

Molly Ivins has often poked fun at President Bush for his manner of speaking, or "Bushisms." In her new book, Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bush's America, the syndicated columnist, fellow Texan and long-time Bush critic takes on his dealings and policies, and what she says are their underreported effects on average Americans. Hear Bob Edwards' extended interview with Ivins.